I Trust You
by Emmahlita
Summary: When Clare Edwards meets Eli Goldsworthy, she puts her previous feelings behind her. But when the truth comes crashing down, she turns to Zane Park.Will he show her what their frienship really means to him?Eclare/Clane,some Misfits.Reveiw! Summariessuck:D
1. Chapter One

**Note from the author: I don't own Degrassi :D**

**Lemme know what you think so far. I know we all know this part, but this is how my story starts off! Chapter two will be up in minutes!**

"You really put Jenna in her place, didn't you?" Alli said to me as we were walking home. We both laughed as I turned my glasses around in my hands. The first week ack at Derassi proved to never fail with scandel; Jenna Middleton had overheard me talking to Alli about my new "enhancements". She totally jumped to conclusions, thinking I had my breasts done to make them look bigger, which wasn't the case. Not even close. I had Lasik done.

Jenna had spread the rumor so far that Wesley Bettankamp even went as far as touching my boobs! But I mad sure the Jenna knew what my surgery was really for. As of right now, my grade ten year at Degrassi started off with a bang, and not a good one.

"So now that I don't need these anymore, what shoud I do with them?" I asked Alli. She stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at me, her mouth agape. "What?" I asked. "What, do your glasses hold some sentimental value to you? Gimme these!" She said, grabbing my wire rimmed glasses from my hands. "No, Alli, don't!" I said trying to grab them back from her.

Truth was, my glasses did hold some kind of sentimental value to me. A lot has happened with those glasses on me. Taking those away was like taking away all of the feelings about the last three years and throwing them out of the window. They were apart of me.

"Ali, come on!" I struggled. "Oh no!" I heard her gasp. Alli let my glasses go flying into the air and landed in the street. I ran over to pick them up, but Alli grabbed me and pulled me back. "Clare, watch out!"

As I look up, a hearse (a HEARSE) was driving in the opposite direction and ran over my glasses. The driver of the car was aware and stopped the car; getting out and letting out the screamo music from his car, he picked up my now ruined glasses and said, "I think they're dead."

I didn't want to meet his eyes because my face was burning red. But I'm glad that I did. Our eyes met and his emerald eyes twinkled playfully, penetrating my sky blue eyes. My cheeks burned a little more as I took in this boy's whole appearance. He wore a dark purple button up that was wrinkled, with black skinny jeans. He was pale, but he seemed to be a dark soul. He had a mysterious feel about him and I wanted to know what would unfold if I knew him more.

"Clare…," Alli said, nudging me. I snapped bac to reality and realized this guy was really here. "Oh, um sorry. I-I really don't need them anymore, it's okay. I got Laser E-Eye sur..gery." God I sounded like such a spazz. But I was just so flustered. The guy gave me a smirk and said, "I never apologized for running them over. I just simply said that they were dead. Though, I am sorry." He looked down at my glasses in his hand and said, "You have pretty eyes, I'm kind of glad I ran these over." I could feel my blush coming back.

"I'll see you around?" I asked, meeting his eyes for a split second. "I'd hope so," he said, getting back into his hearse. The song had changed to a slower rock song and he gave me one last smirk before riding off.

"What was that?" Alli said, dumbfounded. "I have no idead what you're talking about," I said, brushing her off with a slight grin.


	2. Chapter Two

I was nervous waking up today. I wasn't sure why, but the mysterious guy from yesterday had had me in an emotional bind. I kept replying our conversation in my head. But Degrassi was a huge high school; what was the chance that I'd actually see him again?

I decided that it was best for e not to think of him, as I made my way to Ms. Oh's Media Immersion class. _Ding!_ The first class bells rang as I take my exercise ball. Yeah, you read true: _exercise ball._ Principal Snake thought it would be a good idea to replace some of the chairs in classrooms with exercise balls to help improve posture. There weren't many people in class; maybe fifteen of us and thirty computers. I had open seats on either side of me.

"Welcome to the first Friday of the year! You have a simple assignment to do today. Go ahead and get started," Ms. Oh prompted us. I opened the document from Linnex and looked out the glass window, avoiding the assignment as much as I could.

Then I saw him. I noticed the same familiar, pale face, black hair, and brilliant green eyes. He was talking to Principal Snake right outside the large classroom window. He and Principal Snake smiled and shook each other's hands. Snake walked away, leaving the handsome guy standing alone in the empty hallway. He looked around, seeming unfamiliar with his surroundings. He looked into the classroom window randomly. We caught gaze and I jumped, almost falling and knocking myself onto the ground.

I steadied myself and looked back out the window. Sure enough, he was still there. But this time, he had that same smirk pasted onto his face. A few seconds later, he shook his head and walked away, the smirk still present.


	3. Chapter Three

**Yet another chapter for you all this evening. I'm getting quite a buzz, but not many reviews! I would really love to hear what you all think about this so far! Zane will come in very soon, promise! Also, for those of you who have Twitter and Tumblr, follow me! Emilitaaa and .com :D**

Where in the world was Alli? I hadn't seen her at all this morning. I walked down the hall to my locker, when I saw just the person I was looking for. But she seemed just a bit too busy to pay attention to me. I saw Alli with the Panthers' lead QB, Drew Torres. Not paying attention to where I was walking, I smashed into something or rather, someone. My books spilled out of my arms and onto the floor. I rolled my eyes and bent down to pick up my books hurriedly.

"We have to stop meeting this way, honestly," came a familiar voice. I froze, terrified. I was almost too scared to even look up because I KNEW who was there. But I did, and low and behold, my thoughts proved right. I gave a small, nervous titter and said, "Yeah, we really do. B-before someone gets hurt." He smirked at me as he bent down to my level to help pick up my books. "Thanks," I said as he returned my things to me.

"No problem," He said, getting up. "Though, there is something that's been bugging me."

"Oh?"

He held out his hand to help me up. I nonchalantly wipe sweat off of my hand before gingerly grabbing his hand. It felt strange holding onto him. I felt surge of warmth run up my arm. I've never had that, even when I was with KC. "What's your name?" he asked, not letting his grip loosen. I blushed, hard. "Uhm, Cl-Clare. It's Clare." I met his eyes. "And what do you call yourself?" He looked down at his shoes and back up again. "Elijah. But I go by Eli, usually." _Ding!_ Three minute bell.

"What's your next class?" I asked. "Uhh, well I'm still new to this school. I just transferred here, officially, yesterday. Basically today is my first day. But I have English Eleven Honors with Dawes. I think that's her name," Eli said. My heart skipped a fragment of a beat. "Well then, I guess that we can go together. I have that class too." I saw a slight smile forming on his lips. Then I realized that he was still holding me hand.

"Uhm, we should go. We have two minutes to get to the other side of the school," I said. Eli casually let go of my hand, but inside, I wish that he didn't. "Yeah, right. Lead the way, Clare," he said, motioning me to walk forward. _That wasn't awkward at all._ I thought.

"So, where did you transfer from?" I asked, trying to shake the awkward silence. "I came from New Market. My parents and I moved here a few weeks ago. We didn't realize Degrassi started on Monday, because New Market doesn't start until late September. I looked at the school website yesterday morning and enrolled myself later in the day. Thus me running over your glasses and us meeting."

"Well you sure know how to make a first impression, don't you?" I smiled. "Well if I didn't enroll late, I wouldn't have had the honor of meeting you, now would I, Clare?" _Smooth_ I thought. "Quite the smooth-talker, aren't you?" We both smiled as I lead him into Ms. Dawes classroom. I sat down in my usual place, right in the center of the room. "Clare, where do I sit?" Eli looked dumbfounded. It was kind of cute. I giggled to myself and said, "I guess you could sit behind me. Deborah Sellers hasn't been here at all and I doubt she'll be here. She had her baby last month." "Whoah! A baby? Wow," he said as he took the seat behind me, the bell ringing seconds later.

"Welcome back, everyone! Let me call role and I will return your first essay of the year, "Ms. Dawes announced.

"You guys have already had your first essay of the year? It's the first week of school!" Eli breathed in my ear. I felt a tingle go up my spine followed by goose bumps covering my skin. "Crazy, right? But I guess that's what you get for being in an Honors course." "Ms. Edwards, would you like to introduce me to your friend?" Ms. Dawes said, hovering above us.

"Ms. Dawes, this is Eli…" I was lost for words. Eli hadn't told me his last name. "Goldsworthy. I'm Eli Goldsworthy. I just transferred here from New Market. Today is my first day, so I grabbed this seat next to Clare because she's the only person I knew," he said coolly. The teacher gripped her cup of coffee in her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Goldsworthy. You may sit there for the rest of the semester if that spot is to your liking. Although you weren't here for the first essay of the year, unfortunately, that doesn't make you exempt to doing it. And since you and Ms. Edwards seem to be quite a pair, you two can be assigned partners for the semester. She can fill you in on the requirements." Ms. Dawes droned on. She went back the her desk and sat down. "Oh, Eli?" she asked. "Yeah?" "It's due tomorrow by 2:20," Ms. Dawes said as she took out some chalk from her desk.

"Tommorrow!" Eli said horrified as I turned around to look at him. "Don't worry, it's not that tough." I comforted him. I turned back around as the class began to copy down the notes on iambic pentameter.


	4. Chapter Four

The rest of the day, I was Eli-free. At least physically. The last time we saw each other was fourth period when we found out our lockers we only two apart from each other. But now it was seventh period, which was lunch. Finally some time with Allie. I couldn't wait to ask her about Drew and to tell her about Eli.

We got in the quickest line in the café, the pizza line, and grabbed our usual table in the back of the newly redesigned café. "So, what is going on between you and Drew?" I asked, blotting my greasy pizza with a napkin. I should have opted for the salad like Alli, this was disgusting.

Alli seemed hesitant as she tried to open a packet of Ranch dressing. "Oh, I don't like the way you're acting. What happened?" I asked, worried. "Well, that's the thing; we've been hanging out a lot, but I want to be more than that." "But, haven't you guys kissed? He's obviously into you, and you know it." I asked, trying to reassure her. I honestly had no interest in Drew at all. Eli was on my mind way too much.

"No, we haven't kissed yet. But, anyway, I really don't want to talk about him right now. Let's talk about Eli," Alli said, changing subjects. "What's your deal with him?" I had texted her about what had happened this morning. "I don't know, Alli. It's like every time that I see him-""Clare," Alli interjected me quietly. Her eyes were urgent, but I paid no mind. "Hold on! It'll take a second. His green eyes are brilliant, his smirk never fazes to amuse me, and he's sarcastic. I just, don't know, but I think I may have a crush on him. But I've only officially known him for a day," I said, trying my hardest not to gush over a boy that I've only known for twenty-four hours. "Speaking of whom, I told him I was going to meet him in the library to explain this paper to him. I'll talk to you later, Alli!" I got up to throw my greasy lunch away and noticed Eli standing behind me. _How long was he standing there? And better yet, was he blushing?_

"Oh, gosh," I breathed. Everything soon clicked. Alli was saying my name only to stop me from spewing my feelings out in front of him! My cheeks burned as I said," I have to go." And I quickly walked away and didn't look back.


	5. Chapter Five

Alli and Eli watched as Clare dumped her tray and headed to JT Yorke's memorial garden. Then Eli and Alli's eyes met. "She likes me?" He broke out into his signature smirk, his blush still remaining. "Well, you heard it yourself. I don't think I need to give you much more conformation, Eli," Alli said nonchalantly. "What do you think about her?"

"Uh, well. I mean I just met her yesterday. But," he hesitated. Did he really want to say anything to Clare's friend? Eli felt his pocket; the whole reason he came to the table was to give Clare her glasses back. He didn't give them back when he ran them over. Alli looked at him expectantly. "I need to go talk to Clare.." "Why?" Alli asked, being nosy. Eli shot her a look. "Well, if you don't mind, I have Clare's glasses in my pocket. I forgot to give them back." "Oh, well _excuse me, _Elijah. I just simply asked why. You didn't have to spit fire back at me." Alli said with as much heat. Sarcasm was lingering on Eli's tongue, but he felt back the urge to challenge her. After all, she was friends with Clare. "Have a nice day, Alli," Eli said genuinely.


	6. Chapter SIx

_I can't believe that I said that with him there! Why couldn't I have listened to Alli? _I thought, mentally kicking myself. Thankfully no one was in the memorial garden; it was just me. I pulled out _Wicked_, the book that I was reading. Reading was always an escape for me. Even though I was mentally counting down the hours till I had to face Eli again.

"Clare?" questioned that all-too-familiar voice. My heart sank a bit. I noticed Eli sit next to me in the corner of my eye as I refused to answer him. "Hi, Eli," my voice was almost inaudible. I was still incredibly embarrassed. "I forgot to give you your glasses back to you." Ugh! Those stupid glasses were the whole reason that we met. If Alli had never taken my glasses away from me, I wouldn't have been in this situation. But then… I would've never met Eli. My thoughts were interrupted by Eli dropping my glasses onto the floor.

We simultaneously bent down to get my glasses and our hands brushed. I pulled my hand away quickly. Eli picked them up and gave them to me. An awkward silence followed. "Clare, I heard what you said to Alli," Eli started out. _Here it goes,_ I thought. "You know what, Eli? Wasn't that the bell? I've got to go.." I said, scrambling to get my things together.

"Clare, stop making excuses," Eli said as I threw my bag over my shoulder. He got up with me and looked me in the eyes. "What excuses do I have to make? I humiliated myself in front of you and I'd rather not get shot down. So I'm fixing the problem; I'm taking myself out of the equation." My cheeks were burning by then.

Eli's eyes seemed to get wide. "But Clare, why take yourself out of the equation when you're clearly the answer?" I furrowed my eyebrows together, trying to process what he said."What?" I said point blank. Eli jingled the chains on his pants.

"You never had the thought if how I may think of you, have you?" he asked. I stared at my old flats, silently. "I didn't think so." Eli began to walk away, but I grabbed his arm and spun him around. I looked into his eyes shyly. "So you like me?" I teased. I saw the side of his mouth rise, almost a smile. "Meet me in the parking lot by Morty. You owe me an explanation."

"But, you heard me in-" "I meant the paper," Eli's turn to blush. "I knew that…!" I protested. "Sure you did, Blue Eyes." As Eli walked away, I realized something; What or who was Morty? "Wait, Eli!"

"Morty's my hearse, Clare!" he didn't even turn, but continued his way out of the garden.


	7. Chapter Seven

The rest if the school day went a little too fast for my liking. As the last releasing bell dismissed us all, I walked as slowly as possible to the parking lot. I texted my mom, telling her I would be helping a friend. My parents were going to a church auction anyway.

"Come on, Blue Eyes. My grandmother can walk faster than you," Eli yelled from across the parking lot. I shot him a dirty look as I approached him. "You look constipated," He giggled. "Shut up! Or I won't help you!" I laughed. "So, where are we going to work at?" I asked, trying not to have any awkward silences. "Well get in the car and you shall see," Eli said, opening up the door to Morty and stepping inside. "Clare?" "Yeah?" I said, my voice quivering. "You have to be in the car to get to the destination. This isn't Harry Potter; we can't use apparition."

I stood in the exact same place. I did NOT want to be inside a hearse, unless I'm dead. Hearses freaked me out. "You're not scared of Morty, are you?" Eli asked as he noticed I still hadn't moved. He started to chuckle when he saw my face. "Oh wow! You are scared."

"Am not!" I shot back. But still didn't move an inch. "Then get in the car," Eli said simply, turning the key to bring Morty to life. "Finneeeeee," I complied. I carefully climbed into the car. "Finally." "Not. Another. Word. _Elijah_," I hissed. "Feisty! Just how I like them."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Don't push yourself, Goldsworthy. This is just an odd choice for a car. Why a hearse?" I asked, looking around. There was a faint stench and I immediately thought of dead bodies.

"Maybe I'll tell you later.." Eli said very quietly. He seemed to not want to talk about it, so I let it go. "So now that we're in the car, can you be so kind as to tell me where we're going?"

"Maybe I don't want to tell you. You know, I kind of doubt that kidnappers and snipers tell their hostages where they're going, "Eli said as we pulled onto the road. For a second, I actually thought he was being serious. "Come on, Eli!"

"We're going to the park by my house. Happy now, Miss Paranoid?" he taunted. "But it's really windy out. Why would you want to be outside?" I gave Eli a weird look.

"Last time I checked, Clare, this car was mine," Eli said lightly, looking through his window. I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm. "Whatever you say, goes, I guess." He turned to me and gave me a huge smile. "Now that's more like it!"


	8. Chapter Eight

Eli shut off the car after finding a parking spot. He got out of the car, but just as I was about to open up door, it opened. I peered out the door to see Eli holding it open. "What kind of gentleman doesn't open the door for a lady?" He held his hand out, but quickly took it back, brushing his hair. "Thanks," I muttered.

"Let's find a shelter or something so I can explain this paper to you. Grab a tablet real quick so you can jot some things down if needed." Eli got back into Morty and grabbed his book bag. "Mkay, let's go." We walked through some brush until we finally saw the shelter, and found out that we weren't alone. "Okay, where do we go now?" I said. We can work at the same table. Adam doesn't bite. He's in our English class too." Eli said.

"Hey, Adam! Was sup?" Adam looked up and our eyes met. I was silent; something about Adam didn't seem right, but I shook it off. "Hi, Adam. I'm-""Clare, I'm guessing," he said with a smile. I was stunned. I've never talked to him before. Feeling my shock, Adam said, "This one didn't shut up about you today. But what can I say? I've known him for a while and I'm glad he's found someone else to hang with," Adam joked, his high voice quivering unusually. "But, I'm Adam. It's nice to meet you, Clare," he said, smiling. Eli shot him a look, who returned it with a huge smile.

"Can we get on with this paper? Please, daylight is burning." Eli was quick to switch subjects. "No, no. I would love for Adam to keep talking," I said, folding my arms across my chest. Adam smirked at me as Eli became ghostly pale. I could tell from that moment on, me and Adam would get along just fine. "Sure, Clare! He just kept-ouch!" Adam yelped as Eli glared at him.

"Why did you kick me?" he asked quietly. "About that paper," I said, switching subjects myself. "Yeahh." Eli was silent as Adam and I explained the contents of the paper.

After a few minutes of explaining, Eli had everything he needed. "Okay, so I think that I've got all of this. Thanks you guys." "We should hang out this weekend," Adam suggested. "You, me, and Ms. Clare." We all got up from the wooden shelter table and nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan. But, Clare, me and Adam need your number, "Eli said nonchalantly.

"More like he needs your number," Adam whispered. I blushed a rosy tint as Eli made an indiscreet attempt move to kick Adam where it counts, and failed. "So, what's your number, Clare?" Adam asked a bit shaken. I gave him my number and got his in return, as well as Eli's. "We could hang out tomorrow at my house or something," I said. Adam's face flushed as he put his phone back into his pocket. "I'll text you later, you guys." And with that, Adam was gone.

"What was that?" Eli asked, confused. I shook my head, just as confused. "Though, I could as you the same question." My eyes met his and he smiled. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about." After a few moments of comfortable silence, I asked quietly, "Want to go to The Dot?"

"Sounds good, as long as I buy." "But, Eli, you don't have to." "That's right, but I _want_ to." I decided not to argue back, I wouldn't have won anyway.


	9. Chapter Nine

After pulling up to The Dot in silence, Eli announced that we have arrived. I smiled. "I had _no idea_ we were here! Thank you _so much_ for letting me know!" I said as we walked inside, Eli smiled as we got in line.

"Sup. Welcome to The Dot. What can I get for you two?" Peter Stone asked. "Clare, what would you like?" Eli asked. "Surprise me?" "Okay, I'll get the order. Can you get us a table?" "Sure." I was curious to see what Eli would get me.

I picked out a booth in the back of the restaurant. It was near the window which looked out onto Queen's Street. I sat down and did a bit of people watching.

"People watching, eh, Blue Eyes?" Eli asked as he found the table. He set down two glasses of which looked like frothy chocolate milk with lots of whipped cream. I whipped around to see him smiling at me. "Uhm, so what did you get me?" I asked pulling the drink towards me.

"A peppermint mocha twist with chocolate shavings and whipped creaaaam!" He said in one, long breath. My eyes went wide for a second; that is what I usually get as a carry out order! "Is there something wrong with what I got you? Because I can get you something else, no problem." Eli looked worried. "No, it's not that I don't like it. It's the fact that you got my exact order right," I said, sounding dumbfounded.

"Are you serious? Wow, I'm so good!" Eli said, mentally patting himself on the back. "Hey, Clare. How are you?" Came a voice in the distance. Zane Park, the football team's kicker (and rumored gay guy) appeared behind me. "Hi, Zane! How are you?" I asked as Zane gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. Zane and I had been close friends since Junior High. He and Alli were the only ones that I could tell anything to. "Great, how are you? I haven't seen you since the last day of school. You look so gorgeous." "Awe, thank you so much. That's really sweet. You don't look half bad yourself. I missed you over the summer!" I said, smiling.

I could tell that Eli was green with jealousy. "Zane, this is Eli. He just transferred from New Market to Degrassi today." Zane moved around the table and shook Eli's hand. "Nice to meet you, Eli." He said, smiling big. I gave Zane a knowing look. He could tell that I liked Eli. "Same to you. Have you known Clare long?" Eli asked curiously. "Yeah, actually. I, Alli, and she have been close since Junior High. How is Degrassi treating you so far?"

"Pretty good," Eli caught my eye and I smiled. Zane shook his head, smiling and said, "I'll late you guys be on your merry way. Clare, we need to hang out soon, okay?" "Why don't you hang out with Clare, me, and Adam Torres tomorrow?" Eli asked quickly. "Yeah, that sounds good! Clare, text me the details?" Zane asked as he began to walk towards the ordering counter. "Yeah, sure, Zane!" I said, sipping my melted frap.


	10. Zane's POV Chapter 10

**Zane's POV**

I walked to the counter to order my food with the fakest of smiles on my face. Clare had found someone. As much as I tried to be happy for her, I just couldn't help but feel a big hole in my chest; a hollowness where I should feel a proper heartbeat. I've known Clare since she was the skinny, dorky girl reading seemingly "inappropriate" books and writing sexy vampire fiction. I've stood by her side when she needed me the most. I even tried to convince her to not go out with KC Guthrie, the jerk who broke her heart.

The truth was, when I saw Clare with someone else, I immediately thought he wasn't good enough for her. And as narcissistic as this sounds, I knew that I would never be satisfied with any guy she was with, unless it was me whom she was with.

You probably think this is super cliché and cheesy, but if you were in my position, seeing the girl you longed affection from for the longest of times, you'd feel the same way. But I've learned to turn the other cheek. I just have to accept the fact that Clare and I have a friendship, and our relationship will only be that: _a friendship._ Nothing more than that. All these years I've had this built-up emotion inside me, but I wouldn't want to ruin something so close to my heart because of my raging hormones.

And there's the fact that, after all these years, Clare may think that I'm gay. When we were in grade seven, a nasty rumor had spread about me and Owen Milligan. We both have been in football together since junior high, and one day, someone thought it would be cute to say that Owen and I had hooked up in the locker room. That was not at all true. Ever since then, people took it as the truth. But I just brushed it off like it was nothing. I knew what and whom I liked.

But the gay jokes, calling me "Rockette" and me getting hated on because I was "gay", were so painful. It made me think about gay people and how they get treated for being who they are. Here I was, someone said to be "gay", but never proved, being hated on because "I liked guys". It made me sick. And even to this day, I still get made fun of. I've been cornered in the locker room, thrown in dumpsters, and beat repeatedly by my own team mates. I hadn't told anyone about any of the hazing, no one needed to know.

Clare never said anything about the matter or dared to bring it up, which made me wonder if she believed if I was gay or not. Thing is, because of this rumor going around, the girl who I have liked for so long hadn't noticed me in the way that I wanted her to. I've made subtle moves on her before; a kiss on the cheek here, a flirty smile there. But nothing seemed to get through to her. I honestly feel like giving up, but you know what they say, _never give up on the ones you care for._

Genie? Where's my wish?


	11. Adam's POV Chapter 11

**Adam's Point of View**

I had to get home as fast as possible. I dreaded this time of the month coming around. It was the worst thing I could possibly have, and one of many things holding me back from being who I really am physically and mentally. Being a female to male transgender wasn't the easiest thing to live with; especially when you are not likely to be accepted by everyone around you. A few years ago I was kicked out of New Market High School (where I met Eli) only because someone found out I was a transgender. It wasn't the easiest thing to live with because once one person found out, the whole school found out. You would think people in this day and age would learn to accept that not everyone is straight or exactly like them. But ignorance is bliss, as they say.

I was born Grace Chelsea Appleton. When I was a little girl, I went by Gracie. I would always get down and dirty in the mud with my guy friends, or I would play with cars; I was obsessed with them. I have known since a very young age that I was born in the wrong body. It was hard for me to grow up as everyone thought I should, as a girl. I always tried to dress like a boy or have a really short haircut to prove my true inner feelings. Anything boyish I could do, I did it. My friends were never girls when I was younger, strictly guys.

When I was in grade school, there was nothing but speculation that I was a girl. Everyone just thought of me as another boy, the way it should have been. And most importantly, how I wanted it to be. Then middle school hit. It was one of the toughest few years that I had to endure. Keeping my physical identity as a girl a secret was a nerve wracking thing to do. I couldn't be caught, or I would face major consequences by my peers.

My parents did not accept me until I sat them down and talked to them about it right before I entered middle school. Until that day, they were just in denial. I got my mother to be comfortable with it, she understood as much as a person could that wasn't in my position. But my father still to this day does not accept me for who I am, and he told me he never will. He thought that it was all in my head, that I had the CHOICE to be who I am today. Which in fact, I did not have the choice to choose. I was made who I am, but my inner self was misplaced in a cage: a girl's body.

My parents divorced a few years ago because of how bad it got between my father and me. My mother couldn't take seeing my father humiliate and torment me because I acted like a boy. Behind closed doors and my mother's back, he even went as far as to beat me. He thought that knocking some sense into me, in the literal sense, would help me realize that my whole life I was living was a joke. It's been five years since I've talked with my father. The last time we exchanged words was when I was packing up my stuff to move into the apartment my mom had gotten. His last words to me were, "You should be well aware that you will go to hell, you useless, disgusting excuse for a human being. You have no worth of living."

Those words have been branded into my brain, and they refuse to leave. After that day, I turned to cutting and burning myself. Self torture felt like the right thing to do; it was an outlet that I could let out my frustrations with. No one knew what I was going through, and not many ever will.

In middle school, gym was the most worrying subject on my mind. I was worried that if I were to go into the boys' locker room to change for gym, that I would get caught and that the boys would do something to me. So every day of gym class I would change in one of the bathroom stalls. And when we had swim unit, I would always have a note saying I couldn't swim due to a medical reason. I went almost the whole three years of middle school without being caught. But one day, on the last month of school, I got my period. I was changing into the school-issued uniforms consisting of a cerulean blue shirt with our school logo on the front, and bright yellow jersey shorts with the same emblem on the side. I was just walking out of the stall that I had changed in for the last two and a half years, when someone shouted, "Hey everyone, Torres is on his period!" I turned bright red and tried running out of the room, but people started to catch on. They knew that by my facial expressions that I really _was_ on my period. The guys in the locker room blocked all of the exits so I could not get out. Phrases like, "Wow, you really are on your period.", "Freak!", and "What the hell are you?" filled the room. I feared for my safety and my reputation at New Market. Before this happened, I was known as Adam Torres, the cool guy who liked comics and got along with everyone. But after that incident, I was known as Adam the Trans Freak.

That day, I went to school just like every day, except I went home with three bruised rips, a sprained wrist, and a nasty black eye. The guys that hazed me weren't found and I did not tell on them. I thought if I just keep my mouth shut, I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. Which I knew wouldn't be true. Everywhere I have gone and people knew of me, there was always that one person or even group of people who thought of me as a hideous, nasty freak. When all I was, was a guy stuck in this cage that wouldn't completely let me be me. I was trapped with no escape route; no comfort but from four people: Eli, my mother, step-dad, and my step-brother Drew.

My mom and step-dad had asked me what happened when I came home, but I just brushed them off saying I got hurt in gym doing something. I knew that they found my excuse suspicious; I'm pretty sure they knew I was hazed. My principal and all of my teachers had known of my secret, as well as the entire school by the next day. I was called down to the principal's office to get questioned about what happened. They had called my parents in, telling them that I was hazed in the locker room by a group of unknown boys. Turned out that Eli had been in the locker room right at the time the group of guys had got to me, and had told the principal. Thankfully he had spared the embarrassing details, but by the time the story got around, the principal could piece just about everything together.

My parents were called into the office with me to talk about the troubles that went on. And, basically, my principal kicked me out of New Market for "being a disruption for false accusations and impersonation of a young man." I was asked to leave that day, but my mother didn't go down without a fight. She, along with my family, fought the school board and PTA to keep me in school. But one day, I had to call it off myself. Yeah, it hurt my pride, but I really didn't want to go through anymore pain and suffering. Nor did I want my family to either, just because I was trying to be myself. I thanked them for all of their help, but asked them to just let me transfer to Degrassi, the school where Drew had been going since grade seven.

So I left New Market and started my freshman and sophomore years at Degrassi. I was glad to be with Drew, and even more glad to have a fresh start. No one knew me, I knew no one, except for Drew. And that's how I liked it.

But now I'm actually comfortable. Eli is back with me and I made friends with Clare Edwards.


	12. Eli's POV Chapter 12

**Eli's Point of View**

I took Clare home shortly after our…Date? At The Dot. I guess you could call it a date, though I'm not entirely sure. I was introduced to Zane Park, the "rumored gay guy", and best friend of Clare. I had asked her what she meant by rumored, and she told me the whole story of what happened in junior high school. I also asked her if she believed all of the rumors that she's heard about Zane since then, but she really didn't elaborate much on it. She said whether or not he was gay, it didn't really matter to her; she liked Zane for who he is, no matter what his preferences may be.

I have to admit, Zane did come off as gay to me. I have no problem with the gay community or anything, but this guy just _screams _gay. He dresses consciously, matching his shoes with what he wears. Not that I'm saying every gay guy does that, but the way he looked at Clare, it's just nothing I've seen before. It's indescribable the way he looked at her.

I'm just glad that, if he is gay, I have no competition with him. When Zane kissed Clare at The Dot, I was more or less seething with jealousy. I really liked Clare, and I didn't want someone to get in the way of us getting to know each other more. Clare is much different than any other girl that I have met before. She's not like the other girls at Degrassi and New Market; she cares more about her studies and her marks in class than what she's going to wear that day. From what I've personally taken in about her, she's not superficial and she's sarcastic, which I really like. Though, when I took her home, something caught my attention.

When I pulled up to her brick townhouse just off of Queens Street, we got out of the car to say a polite goodbye. We chatted for a bit, nothing serious. But then I heard shrieking and shouting between a man and a women coming from inside her house. I heard something shatter seconds after some of the arguing subsided. I tried to catch Clare's eye, but she wouldn't agree. "Clare, what's going on?" I asked, though I was more than sure I knew what was going on. I had been in this very same predicament with Adam, years ago. He used to stay at my house for weeks on end because of how bad he and his father fought. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Clare finally looked me in the eyes. Her face was flushed a deep red and her beautiful blue eyes were glazed over with tears. My heart broke as I saw this sweet girl go through the hurt of her parents arguing. "Eli, I really just need to go. My parents are probably wondering where I am anyway," Clare squeaked out. There was no way that I was going to let her go inside that battlefield. As Clare turned away to walk up her porch steps, I grabbed her wrists. "Eli, what are you doing?" she asked me, not looking back. I swung her around and looked into her eyes. "Clare, you don't have to tell me what's going on between you and your parents, but I'm not going to let you go inside. It's Friday, you're supposed to have fun."

"Eli, it's nothing. I have to go." The shouting increased a decibel from inside the great oak door. Clare's wiped a fallen tear off of her cheek and sniffled quietly. There was no way I was going to let her go back into her house when all of that was going on. "Come on, Clare. Let's go to my house for a bit. We can rent a movie or something," I said, grabbing her hand and leading her back to Morty. "But Eli, I can't just leave. My parents won't know where I am," she protested against moving. I took her wrists loosely, and said, "Just say you're spending the night with Alli. That way it's not suspicious. But I don't want you going inside there, and I can't believe you wanted to walk into that. No one should have to see their parents fight, ever," I said, standing there, just looking at Clare.

She was trying not to burst into tears, I could tell. My heart sank for her as I looked at the pain she must have endured hearing her parents fighting. She looked so fragile, so closed off. "Invite Alli and Zane over. I'll get Drew and Adam and we can just get some movies and hang out. My parents wanted to get out of town, so they're gone until next Friday," I said, still feeling as if I needed to convince her to go with me. Clare hesitated for a few seconds before saying," I'll go with you, but I want to tell my parents in person. I think they're done fighting."

I breathed heavily. "Clare, if you go in there now, then you will blow your chance at coming over at all. No matter what parent you ask, they will say no, trust me." "Okay, let's go before I change my mind again, please. I'll call my parents when my dad leaves for work tonight," Clare said, getting into Morty and texting Zane and Alli on her fairly new phone. I got into the driver's seat and revved up the engine. As I put my hand on the gearshift, Clare gently put her hand on mine. I felt a knot form in my stomach as I looked over to her. She smiled faintly and said,"Thank you, Eli." My body couldn't help it; I wanted to kiss her so bad, but my conscious told me not to. I just smiled at her and said, "I'm here to look out for you." I put Morty in drive and drove home. Halfway to my house, I felt around for Clare's hand and held it like a balloon I thought would float away. But I knew this balloon would stay for a long time.


	13. Clare's POV Chapter 13

Clare's Point of View.

Embarrassed. Humiliated. Confused. Hurt. Those were only a few of the many emotions that I was going through as I was about to walk inside my house. My parents never used to fight like this last year, or at any time when I was younger. But once Darcy left for Kenya, they seemed to only fight. Ever since my dad's work hours have been increased, it's been adding even more fuel to the fire. And my mom has been going through retail therapy; buying everything she set her eyes upon since her sister died.

Each day their fighting would get increasingly worse. I stopped having friends over because I could not even bare the fact that they may see my parents fight. I always heard the kids at Degrassi talking about how they went to their mom's house or dad' house on the weekends; before this year, I thanked my lucky stars because I wasn't a kid caught in between a divorced relationship. But now it looks as if I will be jumping on that bandwagon soon enough.

It scared me to think I would have to choose between my mom and my dad. I could not imagine the look on either of my parent's face if I said, "Oh... I'll go live with mom." Or "Oh...I'll go live with dad." The truth was, I would rather get emancipated than choose to live with either of them separately. I loved both of my parents too much to have to pick between which one I would rather live with.

Through all of this, I have basically been neglecting all of my work, social and school, and I've suffered for it. Since the fighting began, I've been so concentrated on my parents' possible divorce, that my school work has gone way down hill. Being an Honors student, you need to have yourself together and be solely concentrated on your work; which is impossible to do since all I can hear is the screaming coming from outside my door. And even when they aren't fighting, they echoes of the last battle are so far etched into my brain, I can make a play in my head of them. My friendship with Alli and Zane has even suffered. Alli and Zane were the two people I loved more than anything. I could tell them about anything, anything other than my parents. Zane hadn't known about my parents until I told him a few nights ago through text message. But Alli, like Eli, found out for herself. She had noticed that I was acting odd over the summer and she was irked because every time she had asked me what was wrong, I shot her down, telling her that "It's nothing; I just haven't been myself lately."

One day over the summer, Alli had come over to my house to go to the library with me. Just as I had opened the door, it was as if World War III had begun. I tried not to cry as I closed the door behind me, muffling the sounds coming from inside my house. I tried to act like it was nothing, but Alli ran up to me and gave me a hug; she knew what was wrong. "Clare," she had said, "This is why you've been acting weird, isn't it? Your parents have been fighting? Clare, I'm so sorry you have to go through this. No one ever should!" We stood on my porch for five minutes, just hugging each other, all while the fighting began to calm down. "You can stay with me whenever you need to. Just say the word, and I'll come and get you." I was very grateful to have Alli and Zane with me through all of this; and now I had Eli.

Eli and I were on our way to his house to watch some movies with Adam, Zane, and Alli. Eli told me to text Alli, Zane, and Adam to tell them to bring over their scary movies. I discreetly told Alli about what happened, and she greatly accepted and asked me to stay the night.

Our hands were intertwined as we drove, basking in a comfortable silence. Even though we had only known each other for a day, I felt as if we've known each other for so much longer. It sounds so cliché and cheesy, but the way he handled the situation with my parents just made me feel like he actually cared. I knew that KC wouldn't have helped me like that.

"Looks like Alli, Zane and Adam beat us here," Eli said, pulling up to his house. It was a quaint, modest place. It was like my house; not too big, not too small, but just right. And like Eli said, there stood Adam, Alli, and Zane talking together. He let go of my hand and turned off Morty. There was a slight pause, and I said, "Eli, thank you." He turned his head and looked at me with his glittering green eyes. "Clare," he said leaning in. I caught my breath, thinking Eli was about to kiss me. "ELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Adam screamed outside Eli's window.

"WHAT?" Eli said, jumping in his seat. He straightened back up and scowled at Adam, who was wearing a huge smile on his face. I winked at Adam from behind Eli, and Adam just shook his head, laughing. "C'mon, Clare. Let's have us a movie marathon," Eli said as we got out of the car. "Let me call my parents first. You guys go ahead in and I'll be inside in a second. Everyone filed inside Eli's house but Zane.


	14. Zane's POV Chapter 14

Zane's Point of View

My heart skipped a beat. I watched as everyone filed inside of Eli's house, movies in hand. I had no clue why I was here, until I saw Clare's face. Alli stood in the doorway and said, "Zane? Are you gonna come inside?" I looked at her and waved my hand. "Give me a second. I'll see you inside," I said quietly. "Okay," Alli said, shrugging her shoulders and following Adam and Eli.

I overheard Clare say,"Hey Mom, I know I didn't, uhm, come home right after school... But I'm with Alli. I'm staying the night at her house. So, call me later, okay? Bye." I heard her sniffle quietly. "Clare? What's going on?" I asked. I slowly walked over to her and put my arms around her shoulders. "W-what? Oh, Zane. You scared me. I thought everyone went inside." "No, I stayed out here to see what was up. I thought we were all hanging out tomorrow?" Being around her just felt right. I held back the urge to kiss her on her cheek, but instead, I rested my head on top of hers.

"Zane, my parents are getting worse everyday. It's like, just the slightest thing will set either of them off. And it just scares me that-" She cut off her words and spun around to face me. Her eyes were filled with tears and her t-zone was blotched with red, conflicting with her porcelain skin. "That what, Clare?" I asked, pushing her to say it. I grabbed her small frame and hugged her close. "That they'll get a divorce!" she cried into my chest. "Oh, Clare. Don't think that. Everyone goes through their rough times. Even parents. Everything will get better with time, let's hope." "Zane, I honestly don't know what I would do with myself if my parents were to split up. I just couldn't do that." Clare's face was still buried into my shirt. If I could have stayed forever in that moment, I would. To me, this was the perfect moment for me to come in and save the day. But of course, being the best friend that I am, I couldn't exactly do that. To Clare, I'm the cutesy helper in this problem. But if I was Eli, I knew that she'd be all over me.

"Thanks, Zane. I'm just.. Ahhhh right now," Clare said moving away from me. I released my grip from her, but she didn't want me to. She put her hands around my waist and I wrapped my arms around her. I squeezed her playfully and said,"Scream." Clare looked at me confused. "What do you mean by scream?" she asked. I smiled widely. "You said that you feel "aaahhhh" right now, right? Well, I personally _love_ yelling when I'm pissed off. So why don't you give it a go? Just scream." She looked at me skeptically. "Zane, I can't do that. I'll embarrass myself." "Edwards... You're such a saint, you know that?"

And with that, I stepped away from Clare, drew in the hugest breath possible, and scream like a little girl; high pitched and squeakily. She let her mouth drop open and giggled. I winked at her playfully, just as Eli, Adam, and Alli came rushing outside. "Whooaaaaah. Who's beating up a chick out here?" Adam questioned as he jumped off of Eli's porch. "Ahhhhhh! Look who came to join the party! Come and join us, you guys," I said, making an idiot out of myself. Anything to make Clare forget about her rough time. "What are you talking about, Zane?" Alli said, smiling. "Well," I said, "Clare, here, doesn't like to yell. She's so tense with anger and she needs to let it out! So I told her to scream at the top of her lungs; let it all out! Maybe if you guys did it, it'll encourage wittle Saint Clare." Clare blushed a playful pink and rolled her eyes. "You guys don't have to do this...-" "No, no, Clare. We'll do it," Alli cut her off. "Won't we boys?"

Eli, Adam, Alli, and I all exchanged glances. Alli counted to three on her hand and all four of us screamed as loud as we all possibly could. "SHUT UP!" a neighbor shouted from across the street. We all looked at Clare expectantly. She had the biggest smile on her face. "Come on, Blue Eyes. Y'gonna do it?" Eli said, smirking. "Come on, Clare Bear!" Alli cheered. I stayed silent, but smiled my face off. She looked so cute just standing there, contemplating whether or not to do it. "You guys are impossible! I can't do it now, your crazy neighbor will call the cops on us!"

"Oh, Ms. Dobbs? Psh, don't worry about her. She won't do a thing. And you _know_ you wanna do it. Everyone is! Let out your built up frustration!" Eli said, trying hard not to laugh. "Fine!" Clare said after a few minutes or contemplation. She sighed and quietly _said_," Ahhh!" "WHAT WAS THAT EDWARDS?" I shouted. "Come on! You can do better than that. Chicken. You can't do it, can you? I knew you didn't have it in you."

"Shut up, Zane! I can too do it!" she protested. "_Prove it then,_" I challenged her. She gave me an eyebrow arch and screamed, louder than I ever thought that she could. Now it was our turn to have our mouths agape. "Fancy that, Park?" Clare said cheekily. "Oohhhhhhhhhhhh! Zane, you kinda just got told!" Adam said. Everyone laughed and I said, "That's okay, just as long as Clare could prove me wrong. Good job, Clare. Feel better?" I asked, hugging her. "Yes, Zane. It did help." "LET'S WATCH SOME MOVIES!" Eli said loudly. "_IF YOU LOT DON'T SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, I WILL CALL THE COPS!" _Ms. Dobbs screeched from her screen porch. "Uh... Let's get inside.. Quickly," Alli said, running inside. Everyone else high tailed it after her.


	15. Adam's POV Chapter 15

Adam's Point of View.

"So what movies are we gonna watch first?" I asked hopping on the couch in front of Eli's forty two inch high definition television. "Good question; What kind of genres did you guys bring with you?" Alli said, taking a seat next to me. "I brought scary movies.. I'm not sure about the rest of you guys." "Uhhh, that's what I brought," Zane and myself said at the same time. "Then scary movies it is!" Eli said, bring the aroma of buttered popcorn into the room with him. Clare was in tow, carry a twelve pack of Pepsi's with her. "Let's watch Stay Alive first!" I exclaimed, grabbing a hand full of popcorn and shoved it in my mouth.

"That good with everyone? It's pretty awesome. Me and Adam have seen it a million times. It just keeps getting freakier and freakier every time we watch it!" Eli said, grabbing the DVD from off of the glass table, showing it to everyone. "Is it really scary...?" Alli asked, sounding unsure about herself. "Uhhh, yeah. That _is _kinda the point, Alli. Why, are you scared?" I asked her, nudging her playfully. "Well, the movies I brought were like fluffy scary! I didn't know anyone one else was going to bring, like, _really_ scary movies!" Everyone in the room turned to look at Alli. "Okay... So since Alli is scared, should we just do-" "It's fine. Just... Just don't make fun of me if I gasp or anything. And, Adam, be prepared if I grab your hand or something." she said, jokingly. I tried not to show my blushing face by turning the opposite direction, focusing on a glass vase of flowers. "You got it, Alli," I said, looking at her and smiling.

"Let's get this started!" Eli said, popping in the disk. He grabbed the DVD player remote and sat down on the floor next to Clare. "You don't have to sit on the floor with me, Eli," I heard Clare say to Eli quietly. "And you do know you don't have to sit on the floor, right? Besides, I like it here," he answered back. I tapped Alli, who was watching them too. I made a silent gagging motion and she tried not to laugh. Alli was a pretty girl. We had talked on occasions before, but nothing too serious. Then it hit me. _Alli? Alli Bhandari Alli?_ I always hear Drew talking about some girl named Alli at home, non stop. What if this is her? "I'll be right back...," I said quickly and quietly, jumping up to go to the kitchen. Clare turned away from the TV and saw me leaving the room and followed me. "What are you doing, Clare?" Alli asked. "Nothing, I'll just be a second."

I stood at the Formica table topped island in the middle kitchen, head down and gathering my thoughts. "Adam? What's wrong?" Clare said, coming into the kitchen. I looked up and saw her standing on the other side of the island. "Nothing, Clare. Promise," I lied. I could tell that Clare didn't buy it. But what was I supposed to tell her? Could I really trust Clare with my secret? Or do I just tell her about the near miss in the living room? Or better yet, keep going on with my lie and keep my mouth shut. "Don't tell me nothing. You ran away earlier today! Me and Eli are worried about you."

"Did Eli tell you anything about me today?" I instantly wished that I didn't let that single sentence slip out. I know what would come next. Clare knitted her eyebrows together and said,"No, he didn't tell me anything. Look, Adam, if you don't want to tell me anything, that's okay. I understand. I just want to know that you're okay," she said genuinely. I felt so bad for brushing her off.

"Everything okay in here, you two?" Eli said, coming into the kitchen. I felt nervous; I wanted to tell Clare about my secret, but I didn't know how to go about doing it. Eli saw my face and asked," Dude, what's wrong? You all right?" I look from Clare to Eli quickly and said," Clare, can I trust you with something?" I saw Eli's eye go wide and I said,"I think I can trust her Eli." Clare looked at the both of us and said,"What are you guys talking about? And yes, Adam, you can trust me."

I drew in a breath; I was shaking with the reality of my situation. "Eli, dude, you might want to plug your ears. You know what happens this time of the month." "Gotcha, dude." My stomach cramped up as I croaked out," Clare, the reason I ran off so quickly today is because I started my period." I felt so awkward saying that phrase. "But that's not possible unless you're a...," Clare stopped and looked at me and Eli. "Adam..?" she asked. "I'm an FTM: Female to Male Transgender. Have any questions for me? I'm opened to asking them," I said while there was a group of screams coming from the TV in the next room. "How long have you known?"

"I've known since I was really young. But I don't want to go into the whole story. Not just yet." "I understand, that's okay. But one more question; How do you know you're not a lesbian?" I thanked her mentally for not asking me a million questions like Eli did. I didn't mind it, but it was just really weird explaining all of this.

"Well, since I'm a guy between the ears, that makes me straight. Anything else?" I asked, smiling. "No, Adam. But thank you for trusting me with this. You're really an amazing guy." Clare said, giving me a hug. "I'm here if you need me, okay?" "And me too, dude. You know that," Eli interjected. I felt all mushy inside. It felt good not to have to hide my secret from everybody I liked. And it felt even better being accepted.


	16. Eli's POV Chapter 16

Eli's Point of View

To be honest, I felt kind of shocked when Adam told Clare that he was transgendered. I've known him for a while, and Adam isn't the most open person that I know of. It took him at least two years to tell me about it. I was almost positive that he wasn't ever going to tell anyone else, especially because of what happened back at New Market. I knew that Adam didn't want anyone at Degrassi to know about his secret, unless it was people who had to know. People like teachers, Snake, his parents, Drew, and myself. But for only knowing Clare for less than a day, that meant Adam really thought that he could trust Clare. I'm glad he trusted her like I did right now, it showed me that, in the future, we would get along just fine.

"Let's go back in there and enjoy the rest of the movie, shall we?" Adam said. He looked like he was about to cry. "You okay, Adam?" I asked, smiling. He sucker punched me in the arm and said," Yeah, I'm golden, Goldsworthy." "Hey, Clare! Eli! Adam! Where are you guys? You're missing the whole movie!" Zane called above what sounded like someone getting bludgeoned horrifically. All of us heard Alli yelp and we snickered "We're coming! We're just, uhmm!" I said trying to stall why we were in the kitchen so long. "We're making some more popcorn!" Clare quickly said, grabbing one of the packages of popcorn and throwing it to Adam, who was closest to the microwave. _Nice save! _Adam and I mouthed as Adam caught the bag and put it in the microwave for a minute and thirty seconds. "You guys go ahead back out there, I'll wait for this to finish cooking,"Adam said, watching the microwave count down. "You sure?" I asked. He nodded and added as Clare headed out, "Eli, is that Alli _Bhandari?" _I thought about it for a second... I think Clare had mentioned Alli's last name was Bhandari in Dawes' room. "I think so? Why?" "Nothing, I'll have to tell you later, can I stay the night?" Adam asked. He didn't look to pleased with himself. "I was just about to ask you if you could!" _Beep!_ Went the microwave's timer.

Me and Adam walked out together, popcorn in Adam's hands. "Dude, this bag is hot!" he said tossing it on the glass table, spilling the old popcorn all over Alli. "Uhm, Alli? What are you doing to Zane?" I asked. This was honestly a sight to see; Alli, who started off the movie by sitting with Adam on the couch, had made her way almost onto Zane's lap. She had her head buried into his arm, and Zane had his arm around her, telling her to chill . "What do you mean, what am I doing? I didn't think this movie would be _that bad!_ And then Adam, you, and Clare left for the kitchen for like, half of the movie! And Zane was the only one here!" She said. Though her words came out muffled and sounded like:""Wuff doof you mwean, wuff am I doofing? I didn't fink this moffie would be frat_ bad!_ And then Afam, you, and Care left for the kwitchen for life, half of the moofie! And Zane wuffs the only one here!" We all laughed at Alli as the movie finished.

"You guys, it's getting kind of late, Zane, Alli, and myself should probably get going," Clare said after we finished our third movie, The Omen. I looked at the digital clock above the television, and low and behold, it was nearly ten o clock! "Yeah, I would rather stay here with the guys, chilling and watching TV, but sadly, I'm these ladies' ride," Zane joked. "Hey now!" Clare said, smiling at Zane, who returned her banter with a wink. I rolled my eyes, looking discreetly in the opposite direction so that no one would see me; but Adam did. "Okay, well I really appreciate you guy coming over. It was nice to just hang out with everyone," I said shortly, but trying not to sound too annoyed. "Ditto!" Adam said, getting up with me to hug the girls and to fist punch Zane. "Yeah, we need to do this again, really soon," Zane had a huge smile on his face as he guided Clare and Alli out the door. That's when I saw my chance.

"Clare? A word?" I asked touching her arm. She obliged and we went out the front door together while everyone was caught up in a conversation about something. The sun was setting and the horizon was painted with burnt orange, pink, and splashes of red. The dead leaves on the ground and the bare trees set the ambiance for the ideal autumn day. I hadn't noticed the cold until I saw Clare shiver. "It's kinda chilly out here, don't you think, Edwards?" I said sarcastically. Clare turned to me and said," You know, a gentleman would lend his jacket to a woman that was cold." I shook my head and took off my jacket, putting it around her shoulders. I could barley make out her face, but I knew she was blushing.

"Thank you, Eli." I turned toward her and casually put my arm around her. "Are you doing better?" I could feel Clare tense under my arm. She probably forgot about her parents since being with all of us. "Y-yeah.. I'm just sorr-" "Clare," I cut her off gently. "Don't worry about me hearing your parents. I won't say anything about it." I wanted to make sure that she wouldn't think I would tell everyone I knew about what had happened.

"I wasn't talking about that, Eli." I cocked my head at her. "Then what do you mean?" I asked confused. "I knew what you were trying to do in Morty earlier." I blushed, hard. I suddenly wished that I hadn't attempted to do that. But I tried to play it off. "Nothing happened in Morty! I don't know what you're talking about..." "As if Eli! If Adam hadn't stopped you, you would've..." She broke off. "What would I have done, Clare?" I challenged. Her blue eyes stared into mine as if she were contemplating something.

In the blink of an eye, her lips were suddenly on mine. "Hey, Clare! Alli's mom wants us home no- Oh," Zane came through the front door and saw us. We quickly broke apart, both of us flustered. "Sorry I interrupted...," Zane's embarrassment was shown as he turned away and bumped into the door. He threw one last glance over his shoulder; he was less than impressed with what he walked in on. I could just tell. "I- I better...uhm yeah. I have to..." "Go? You mean you have to leave, right?" I smiled faintly. "Keep my jacket. I'll text you later tonight."

I watched Clare as she ran back inside to get Alli and Zane. I stayed outside, mulling over what happened.


	17. Clare's POV Chapter 17

**Clare's POV**

_Did I seriously just do that? With Eli?_ I thought to myself. I had no intention of kissing a boy that I practically had known for a day, but something just came over me It just felt like the perfect moment to try. I _wanted_ him to kiss me in Morty, but thanks to Adam's handy work, he didn't. But I was kind of glad Adam spooked Eli out of it.

But something that got me was the look on Zane's face when he saw us kissing. He looked shocked.. Or even _hurt_. But I would have no idea why he would be hurt. Maybe I just confused it with embarrassment. "Alli, where' s Zane at? I saw him go back inside," I said, looking around the living room. I didn't see him anywhere. Alli looked around with me. "He looked to be in pretty bad shape. He was so pale, Clare. He looked like he just saw a ghost." I stared at her, dumbfounded. We had only seen each other seconds ago, so how could he have looked like that?

"Did he say anything to you? About what happened, I mean?" I asked Alli curiously. She shook her head no and said,"No he didn't, but he did want to tell me something later." What did she mean by that? What could Zane say to Alli, that he couldn't say to me? I walked away from Alli and went to the bathroom to let this sink in. Just as I was about to walk in, the door opened, revealing Zane. He was still a tiny bit pale, but other than that, he was fine. "Uh, oh. Um, Zane... Hi?" I spazzed. "Yeah. I'll be in the car," he said after a few awkward seconds, squeezing past me. He walked away silently.

I walked into the bathroom and heard Zane say my name. He suddenly appeared in the door way, looking nervous. "Yeah, Zane?" I asked. _Why is he being so weird?_ "_Ek es leif vir jou," _he said, and just walked away again. If I wasn't confused then, I sure was now. "What the..?" I whispered to myself.

I walked out of the bathroom and just stared at Alli. "What's wrong?" she said. "You looked like _you_ just saw a ghost. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea! Zane came into the bathroom and said some foreign phrase to me that I didn't know." Alli laughed at me like I wasn't serious. "You think I'm joking, aren't you!" I exclaimed. "Come on, Clare. Let's go to my house and I will become your psychiatrist," she guided me out the front door, where we met Adam and Eli, who were talking quietly. "We had a really fun time, you guys!" Alli said, hugging Adam. She steered clear of Eli, their animosity still at a slight boil. "Thanks for coming, Alli. I'm glad you had a good time," Eli said, being serious. Alli turned to Eli and said with a smile," Come here...," and hugged him. "Awwwwwwwww," me and Adam said obnoxiously.

Eli's looks caught my eye and I smiled. I returned it and said,"I had fun too, thank you guys." It was obvious we were being cutesy because Alli said,"Why are you guys looking at each other like that?" "BECAUSE THEY KISSED!" Adam blurted out. Me and Eli stared at him. "ADAM!" "What? Eli told me and I just _had to share_," He said innocently. "You guys really kissed? Whoah, Clare!" "I- just- but!-" "Yeah, we kissed. No big deal," Eli said nonchalantly, winking at me. "But seriously, thank you guys," I said hugging both Eli and Adam. "Bye," we all said.

Like Zane said, he was in his green Toyota Corolla , ready to leave. I got in the front seat with him, Alli in the back; our usual places. He didn't have the radio on and everything just had an awkward feel to it. I didn't bother asking him what he meant by what he said only minutes ago, and started talking with Alli. We pulled out of the driveway and moved onto Queens street. "Clare... Is that Eli's _jacket?_" Alli exclaimed tugging on the black fleece. I blushed, playing back the whole scene. "Yeah it is-" I was cut off by Zane blasting Eminem's latest single.

_What is his issue?_ I thought. I was completely lost. Why was Zane acting this way? "Uhm, _Zane._ Would you mind?" Alli said in between our seats. "Ja, ek omgee," he said, looking in the rear view mirror at Alli. "Huh?" We both said simultaneously. "Can you please speak English, Zane?" Alli probed, poking him in the back of the head. "I'm sorry you guys, I just miss home, I guess. A lot." We could tell he was lying. Me and Alli knew nothing about his home life in South Africa, but we did know that he never wanted to talk about it when it was brought up. We left it at that until we drove up Alli's driveway, wordless. "Bye, Zane," I said shortly. If he wasn't going to say what was up, I wasn't interested in harassing him about it.


	18. Zane's POV Chapter 18

**Zane's POV**

"Good night, Zane," Clare said without any feeling to me. "Good night, Clare." "Alli, I need to talk to you," I said as Clare ran off to Alli's front door. She was just about to get out of the car when I said something. "You're acting so weird. What is your problem?" she asked, not holding back any mercy. "You're talking in a different language, you're just being.. Odd!" "Alli, I can't tell you now, not with Clare around... But I just really need someone to talk to about this..," I confessed. I knew I was being weird, I couldn't exactly _help_ these feelings about Clare. I had to tell some soon. Alli got out of the car swiftly and leaned through the passenger's side window and said,"Is it about Clare?" I slumped my head against the wheel and said,"Yes, it's about Clare." "Okay, here is the deal, Zane," she said calmly, looking back at Clare, who looked like she was texting someone. _Eli, _I thought jealously. "I'll text you later tonight. When Clare is sleeping. And I'll meet you outside or something, okay? It sounds weird, but if it's that important..." "It is Alli. It really is," I said, feeling an almost hopeless feeling in the pit of my heart. The very same feeling I've been trying to get used to for years."Okay then, I'll text you. Bye, Zane." And with that, Alli ran up to Clare and went inside together.

I drove back to my house in complete silence. No radio, not anything but the racing of my heart to listen to. I've kept all of these feelings inside for too long, not telling anyone about them. I'm surprised I haven't told Alli any sooner. I usually told her everything, she was the only person (other than Clare of course) that I could tell absolutely anything to. If I was to be completely honest, telling Alli about how much I liked Clare wasn't the only thing I had to tell her. I also wanted to tell her how I felt about Eli; I didn't think he was suited for Clare. And no, that was not the jealousy speaking. Not to judge a book by its cover or anything, but it's hard not to. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about him just didn't click right to me.

"Hi, Zane. Did you have fun with your friends this evening?" My mother asked in her thick accent as I came through the door. Fun? I guess so.. I thought. "Yeah, had a great time. But I'm kind of tired. I think I'm just gonna crash. Good night, Mom," I said, hugging her before I went upstairs to await Alli's text. I ran into my bedroom and hopped on my queen sized bed, feeling restless. I took out my Black Berry from my pocket and held it above my face. The clock only read eleven o'clock. "You've got to be kidding me!" I sighed. I grabbed my remote control and flicked on my TV, flipping through the channels that looked uninteresting. "No. No. No. No. _NO!_" I said, getting annoyed. I finally settled on a cooking show that looked semi interesting. But before I knew it, I dozed off.

"_So baby, keep my heart b-bah-beat-beat-beating, you're the sole reason I keep believing,"_ My cellphone rang. Alli. I quickly shot up off my bed and grabbed my phone. "Alli?" I said drowsily. "Zane? Did you just wake up or something? Anyways. Clare is asleep. Meet me on my pool deck, okay? Don't bring your car, just walk," Alli whispered softly. She was probably still in the room with Clare sleeping. "Yeah, I'll be over there in a few minutes," I said hanging up without saying goodbye.

I grabbed a jacket because I could already tell the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees since I had gotten home. I looked at my phone and my jaw dropped. The screen read twelve twenty seven. Had I really been sleeping that long? It seemed as if I'd only been sleeping for a few minutes. "Whoa," I said as I carefully opened my door and snuck passed my parents room. My mom was fast asleep and my dad was at work until six am that morning. I maneuvered quietly and quickly down the stares and came face to face with my only problem: The squeaky front door. I took the knob in both of my hands, unlocking it without trouble and froze. _If I do it quickly, it might have less sound... _I contemplated. I whipped the door open without another thought. _SQUEAK! _The door yelped. I spun around and strained to hear my mom's soft snores... Yep. Still snoring. I slipped out of the door and into the cold. It was a good thing I lived so close, or else I would not have walked to Alli's house. It was so cold that night.

I practically ran to Alli's back yard. Leaves crunched loudly as I opened the gate to the enclosed yard. "Zane, hurry! It's cold out here.. And if I get caught out here, even with _you_, my parents will flip!" Alli exclaimed, throwing her hands everywhere. _Oh,great. She thought that I was gay too.. Didn't she?_ I thought, annoyed. I walked up the steps to meet Alli, who was sitting down in a sun chair. She was wrapped in a blanket and wearing fuzzy slippers. "Okay, so what do we need to talk about?" She asked as I sat down beside her on another sun chair. "I'm just going to come out with it; I love Clare, Alli. And I have for a very long time. I haven't told anyone but you, and I've wanted to tell her for a long time, and just when I think I have the courage to do so, something comes up, keeping me from telling her," I said quickly.

Alli's big, dark eyes grew even wider. "But I always thought that you were...-" "_I'M NOT GAY!"_I yelled angrily. "I'm _straight_! Just because all of these rumors that you and Clare have heard, doesn't mean that you should take them seriously!" "Zane! Zane! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have-" "How could you believe those rumors? They were so outlandishly untrue!" I demanded. So Clare really did think I was gay? "I should have just asked you," Alli said, putting her head down. I suddenly felt bad for yelling at her. "I'm sorry for flipping out on you, Alli. But please; don't listen to those rumors anymore." "Okay, but again, I am sorry. But how are you going to tell Clare how you feel? She seems pretty into Eli, Zane."That's another thing," I said getting up. "Eli just seems like an off person to me. I can't help but think all he wants to do is keep Clare away from me..." "Or maybe you're paranoid? Eli seems like a nice guy. But if you want Clare to notice you, you better act fast." Choosing to ignore those words, was the worst choice that I made that day.


	19. Adam's POV Chapter 19

**Two Month's Later**

**Adam's POV**

When people say times and people change, they aren't lying. These passed two months have been the worst. It seems as if I have lost my best friend, but in return, gained a new one. Eli and Clare kept getting closer and closer, making me and Eli just drift apart. Eli was (is?) my best friend, and I wanted to keep him that way. But for some reason, ever since he actually got together with Clare last month, his attitude has just been so bitter. It's hard to even be in the same room with him because he makes it seem like I'm just a huge burden to him.

"You can't just un-invite me from guy night!" I whined to Eli while we were grabbing something to eat at The Dot. Eli frowned and said,"I'm not "un inviting" you. I just want to reschedule... Besides, I have some studying to do tonight," Eli said annoyed. I could obviously tell he was lying to me. What teenager studies on a Saturday? "Whatever, dude. Be straight with me. Don't lie." Eli sighed loudly. I rolled my eyes, getting annoyed. "Okay, my parents are out of town this weekend, and I wanted to hang out with Clare... Alone. Sorry, dude," he added when he saw the disappointment in my face. "It's whatever. At least you were honest, I guess. I can hang out with Zane or something tonight. Drew's out with Alli, so..," I drifted.

Me and Zane had gotten really close since movie night, two months ago. We were both inverted outcasts at Degrassi, which made us quite alike in many ways. We shared some of the same hobbies and just about everything else. I could pretty much tell Zane anything by now. I especially needed a friend when times like these came up. And it turned out he felt left out too. Over the last few months, I kept getting pretty annoyed with Eli. He kept blowing me off for "alone time" with Clare. And Clare kept blowing off Zane for time with Eli, which hurt him the more and more it happened. He had told me in confidence how he really felt about Clare. And it seemed the more I brought up Zane, the more annoyed Eli got with _me. _It seemed as if Eli knew about the whole Clare-Zane situation.

"Why would you want to hang out with that.. Freak? Clare doesn't stop talking about him when we're together.. And now you are too? What is he, your boyfriend?," Eli spat angrily. "Zane isn't a freak, Eli. What the heck has gotten into you?" I countered back. I was in complete shock. "How could you call Zane a freak, but not me? And maybe Clare is losing interest in you. Ever thought about that? Maybe she likes Zane more than you. And as for him being my boyfriend? Zane and I are both _straight_. We enjoy each others company because we are _friends,_" I said. I was so red in the face. If I could, I would have socked Eli in the face. "Whoah! Adam... Did I hit a nerve?" Eli said sarcastically. He laughed. "Like Clare would ever be interested in Zane. "Yeah, you did "hit a nerve," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "Seems like I've been winding your last nerve, so let me just leave. I'm sick of you putting down Zane every time that I bring him up! And I'm also sick of you putting me down. Get over yourself," I said getting up and leaving Eli with the bill. _He's been more of a friend to me than you these past couple months,_ I thought.


	20. Eli's POV Chapter 20

**Eli's POV**

_Zane. Zane. Zane. ZANE. _It's all I've heard about over the last few weeks. And to be honest, I'm getting pretty sick of hearing Pretty Boy's name. I've heard enough of him through Clare, but now Adam? I just couldn't handle it anymore. All I hear is, _Zane and I are going to hang out tonight!_ or_ Zane helped me through this problem in grade nine._ It's like, everytime I'm with either of them, it's inevitable not to talk Zane. And I hate to think that Adam had a point today. What if Clare did like Zane more than myself? I get that I've been bitter to just about everyone right now, but they don't know my reason. Clare is _my _girlfriend. I'm _her_ boyfriend. So why is she talking about her gay best friend all the time? I'm an insanely jealous person, but I learn how to conceal it.. For most of the time. But I am only human

I got up from the table and paid for me and Adam's food. I was still a bit in awe at what just happened. I'm losing my best friend because of the way I've been acting towards him. I just couldn't help thinking about how I would react if Clare liked Zane. I would be more than crushed if she did. I really did care about her, but if I found out that she was playing me for the past two months.. I just don't even know. I left The Dot and jumped in Morty to make my way over to Clare's, it was around the time that I had to pick her up anyway for our date. I turned up my radio full blast, trying to rid my brain of what had just happened between me and Adam. I knew that if Clare didn't like me, she would've told me by now. I have nothing to worry about... Right?

I started tapping my free hand on the wheel in time with the rhythm of the beat playing loudly. _Clare can't like Zane._ I repeated in my head simultaneously. I turned down Clare's street and her large brick house came into view. I turned down my radio quickly when I saw her small frame standing on the porch, her arms insecurely wrapped around herself. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I pulled up in front of her. My fear realized. "Clare?" I asked quietly. "Eli... We need to talk."


	21. Clare's POV Chapter 21

**Clare's POV**

The last two months have taken such a toll on my emotional life. I can't keep up any more. My parents' fighting has calmed down, which is wonderful. They actually made an effort to fix their relationship, thanks to me and Eli's handy work. But that was the least of my worries now. A week after the first movie night at Eli's, Alli had told me something shocking. Zane had come over the night of the movies and told Alli how I felt about me. Zane had been in love with me for a long time, but was scared to tell me. In all honesty, I didn't believe it when she first told me.

I thought the whole concept was insane until I realized, _I was in the same predicament that Zane was only a year ago_. When Zane went out with Jessica Doherty in his grade ten year, I was incredibly jealous of them being with each other. I liked Zane so much when I was a grade nine, but I never thought he would date someone who was almost a year younger than him. Plus I was one of his best friends! It just seemed impossible to me, for us to get together. I always felt sick when he was around me with Jessica, I didn't even want to associate myself with them. And when they broke up six months later, I was so ecstatic. Me, him, and Alli were inseparable, though when Zane were to make "moves" on me around Alli, I just brushed them off. I didn't want Alli to know what was going on. I also didn't want her to feel left out either. I guess Zane thought in return was that I was brushing _him_ off completely, which wasn't what I was trying to throw out there.

That night, I thought over my feelings about Zane, again and again. He has been there through everything with me, and I really cared about him, and since Alli told me about her talk with him, I knew that he cared for me in the same way.

Ever since then, I've been going back and forth between Zane and Eli. Whenever I was with Eli, I tried not to talk about Zane, but it was inevitable. Eli had asked me out just last month, and I had accepted. But my feelings for Zane only grew stronger. Me and Eli's relationship got stronger by the day, but his attitude and actions were less than pleasing. Adam had told me about how bitter he was becoming and I couldn't possibly see Eli get that way.

But today, I was a complete and total wreck. I had made up my mind with who I wanted to be with, but I just had to tell Eli and get it off of my chest. I had called both guys to come over and talk about the whole thing, hoping that we can resolve the issue in a calm manner. _Great.. Here we go_. I thought as Eli pulled up to me. He carefully got out of the car and ran up to me, giving me a hug. "Why are you looking so glum, Blue Eyes?" he asked, sounding nervous. I was silent. I didn't know where to start. And Zane wasn't even here. "I called Zane over here... But he hasn't shown up yet. I needed to talk to you both," I squeaked. I was so close to the verge of tears, it was unreal.

"What do you need to talk to us about, Clare? Please. Tell me," Eli urged as he grabbed my hand in the act of comfort. Just then, I broke down. "Eli, I'm so sorry, but I don't have feeling for you like I do for Zane." He dropped my hand and turned his back to me in frustration. "_I can't believe this!"_ He shouted, spinning back to face me. His brilliant green eyes were shining differently than the other times that I've seen him. "Eli, I'm sorry. So sorry," I cried.


	22. Zane's POV Chapter 22:The Finale

_**Okay you guys! This is the last installment of I Trust You! What did you think? :) I hope to get lots of reviews on this chapter, just to see how you guys felt about the ending. Should I make a sequel? Yes, no? Or should I just make something completely different? Thank you so much for reading and being with me through writing this awesome fan fic! Mucho amor! -Emmahlita.**_

**Zane's POV**

"Eli, I'm sorry. So sorry," I heard Clare cry as I turned the corner by her house. She had called me over to talk to her about something really important. I had nauseous feeling in my stomach. After everything that Adam had told me about Eli putting me down, I had the fear that maybe he had gotten to Clare; maybe she would start to dislike me too. But something inside me knew that Clare had more faith in me than that, no matter if she was taken or not. My ears perked up as I heard Eli shout,"How could you _play me_ like this? You're the most selfish person I've met, Clare. I just can't believe you!" Eli sounded as though he could spit venom.

I was so confused. Why were they fighting like this? I thought that they had the most wonderful and happy relationship. At least that's how Adam had put it just days ago. After a few minutes more of Eli and Clare going back and forth, I was done listening to Eli put her down. "What the hell is going on, Goldsworthy?" I said, showing myself from behind a bush I was hiding behind while eavesdropping. Eli went silent until he saw me walking up to them. Clare's blue eyes were streaming tears. "Ahh, just the person we're talking about, eh?" He said, meeting me halfway on the sidewalk. He was red in the face and he looked like he could commit a murder if he wanted. His eyes were darting in a maniac way. "Zane, Eli. Don't. Please don't do this. No PLEASE," Clare cried as she ran up behind Eli and grabbed his arm. "Clare, don't you think you've caused enough?" he said, shaking her off.

"Don't do that to her! What is this even about?" I asked, trying to get a solid answer. Eli turned his head and spat into the street. "As if you don't know. Clare wants to be with _you_. She's been playing me like a fool for the last few weeks. And it's _your_ fault, Park. You're the cause of all of this!" "_Me? _How in the world am _I_ the cause of this? Clare has her own heart and her own feelings! Neither of us can change those personally. Do you not get that? So what if she likes me now? Does it matter? At least her conscious told her to be honest with _you_ instead of letting you find out the hard way. So be a man about this and walk away with your head held high and you balls in tact." I tried to not let the anger inside of me get the best of me. But in truth, I wanted to hit Eli square in the jaw, especially for shaking off Clare the way the he did.

"God, you're such a fag. I can't see how anyone can stand you," Eli said to me, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. That was the last straw. "LEAVE. NOW. BEFORE I KICK YOUR ASS. I swear to God. It's people like you that make my skin crawl!" I shouted, getting in Eli's face. His face went pale; I guess he didn't think that I had the guts to get physical with him. Eli put his hands out in front of himself as in an act of backing down. "I don't have to go anywhere, unless Clare says so."

Just then the door to Clare's house opened. Out walked Mr. Edwards with a concerned look on his face. "What's going on out here, Clare?" he said as he caught the look on her face. Her eyes were filled with tears and she looked entirely too pale, even for her. Clare looked straight at her dad and tried not to cry. "It's nothing, Dad," she said, looking away from him. Typical Clare; she could never lie straight to someone's face. "Zane?" he questioned me. "Would you please tell me what's going on?"

"Me and Eli got into a disagreement. But he was just leaving, weren't you, Eli?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him. "Whatever. Have fun with your new guy, Edwards," Eli said, getting into Morty, slamming the door shut. We all three watched him speed off, tires squeaking and all. "If it was any consolation, that kid always seemed weird to me. I always liked you so much better," Mr. Edwards said, going back inside, shaking his head.

"Oh my gosh," Clare breathed, sitting down on the porch, sobbing. I walked up to her and gingerly sat down next to her. "Clare," I said, putting my arms around her "What just happened?" She wiped her eyes with her powder blue jacket sleeve and gasped,"Zane, Alli told me everything. And the truth is, I didn't like Eli as much as I thought I liked you. He was the second best thing, a consolation. But when Alli told me that you loved me, I just felt like I lost you. After brushing you off all of these years and making your subtle moves irrelevant to me, I felt like you didn't like me. And on the first movie night, you were acting so weird."

My heart leaped; she did feel something for me. "Clare, the only reason I acted weird on movie night was because I saw you and Eli kissing. It broke my heart because I knew that I would have to wait that much longer to tell you how I really felt about you. But when I came up to you while you were in the bathroom, I said my true feelings in a foreign way," I said, finally letting my heart speak for itself. Clare had stopped crying, and just looked at me with those familiar, crystal blue eyes. My heart lifted; I was finally coming clean. "You mean, what you said in Afrikaans.. It meant I love you?" she asked shyly. She got up from the porch and looked at her feet. "Yes, Clare. It did," I said getting up and holding her hands. "Look at me, Clare," I begged her. She complied and caught my eyes again. "I love you, so much. And I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. None of this would have happened if I would have just been open with you from the very start. You're my best friend, but I want you to be so much more than that. I want you to trust me with your heart." As much as I tried not to sound cliche, it didn't work.

"After years of wanting to be asked that... I've been holding back so long, afraid to give it my all. In my world filled with uncertainty, I know this is for certain, Zane: I trust you with my heart," she said, kissing my on the lips. I took her petite face in both my hands, and kissed her with everything in me. Being in this moment felt more than right; it felt supernatural. I was finally with the one that I wanted for so long.


End file.
